Manually propelled watercraft



Sept. 5, 1961 J. w. LOVE 2,998,798

MANUALLY PROPELLED WATERCRAFT Filed July 18, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 47a 19 Pl Sept. 5, 1961 J. w. LOVE 2,998,798

MANUALLY PROPELLED WATERCRAFT Filed July 18, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O MANUALLY PROPELLED WATERCRAFT John W. Love, 18530 S. Broadway, Gardena, Calif. Flled July 18, 1960, Ser. No. 43,590 Claims. (Cl. 115-23) This invention relates to boats and rafts andthe like and particularly to an improved form thereof for use for recreation purposes and especially adapted for use in swimming pools by children.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a small water craft which includes means by which it may be propelled by the occupant, which for the most part, at least, is self-draining, which is economical to manufacture and maintain, is small in size and light in weight, is not easily overturned, is readily boarded by a person in the water without danger of overturning the craft, which maintains its buoyancy under all conditions of use, and in which thepropelling devices are such as to be incapable of inflicting injury to persons contacting them.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with such additional objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts and in the con struction, combination and arrangement of parts described, by way of example, in the following specification of certain presently preferred embodiments of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of said specification and in which drawings:

' FIG. 1 is a side elevational View of a water craft consisting one presently preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the craft shown in FIG. 1,

FIG 4 is a front elevational view of the craft shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, medial, sectional view taken on the lines 5-5 of FIG. 2, p v

' FIG. 6 is a further enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken on the lines 6-6 of FIG. 1, and particularly showing details of one of the propelling devices,

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, side elevational view taken-on the section line 77 of FIG. 4 and particularly showing the driving belt arrangement for the propelling devices,

FIG. 8 is a side elevation, no view, partly in section, of one of the paddle wheels of the propelling devices,

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of one of the two halves of which each paddle wheel is formed,

FIG. 10 is a further enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the lines 10-10 of FIG. 6 showing the mode of joining the two halves to form a completed paddle wheel,

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of a secondly presently preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 11,

FIG. 13 is a partial plan view showing the use of a protective bending strip on the edge of the craft, and

FIG. 14 is an enlarged scale sectional view taken on wheel housing 19 extending laterally beyond the side;

edge of the bottom component and comprising an inner vertical wall 20 which extends upwardly and slightly dihave laterally extending flanged portions 4 and 5, re spec f tively, which are cemented together to form a hollow;

hull, said hull space thereafter being filled with a mass of foam-type plastic 6 to create a monolithic hull structure with a minimum of additional weight and which is also effective to exclude water from the interior of the hull. The plane of the juncture of the flanges 4 and 5 is disposed only slightly below the general level of the: top surface of the deck component which, as will be further pointed out, slopes in all directions toward the edges thereof so that there is no cavity in which water can collect. In other words, the craft is self-draining.

The bottom component below the flange 5 thereof comprises a depending substantially vertical side wall 7 they are terminated by the rounded front end 10 of the The ribs 9-9 serve to save the bottom area from damage when the craft is out of the The forward end of the bottom component is' bottom component.

water. provided with a slight central forward rib 11 serving as a keel.

The deck component is generally slightly upwardlyi bulged from the plane of the meeting line of the flanges for the said self-draining purposes and at the rear end' thereof in the longitudinal center line of the hull includes. a back rest portion 12 extending above the general level of the deck to support a person seated on the deck and facing the front of the hull, the front wall 13 of "said back rest being concavely rounded and the back and side surfaces 14 of the back rest sloping convexly rear wardly and laterally to join the surface of the deck. Approximately midway between the front end of the hull and the transverse center line thereof, the deck component is provided with foot rests 15 and 16, each of which The foot rest 15 is located furextends across the hull. ther from the back rest to accommodate adults and larger children while the foot rest 16 is located closer to the back rest to accommodate smaller children. Each foot rest is of modified crescent configuration as viewed in plan with the concave sides thereof disposed toward the rear of the hull and the back rest and said concave side 17 is disposed substantially vertically being highest at i the center line of the hull and tapering gradually to the level of the deck surface at the ends of the foot rest.

The top surface 18 of each foot rest slopes downwardly and forwardly to merge with the deck surface.

The propelling means, comprises a pair of paddle.

Since the Wheels mounted on opposite sidesrofrthe craft. paddle wheels and the mounting, guarding and driving means associated therewith arejeither identical or mirror images, -a description ofone wheel and the parts asso;

ciated therewith will serve for both and all corresponding parts will be given the'same identifying numbers regardless of the side of the-craft on whichthey are positioned,"

About midway of its length and at each side thereof, the deck component is provided with an integrally formed agonally outward from about .the vertical plane of the side wall of the bottom component. except forthe .cen-

V ter portion 20' thereof which extends directly vertically.

a side wall portion 23 having a plurality of laterally ex- Patented Sept. 5, 1961' tending paddle forming halves at one side thereof forming the paddles 24 said laterally extending paddle forming portions being provided with mating tongue and ggooveportions 25 b y whichthetwohalves may be adbe. siyely or otherwise secured together (see FIGS. 9 and 10). to form the completed paddle wheel.

The thus formed paddle wheel 22 is provided at its. outer end with a metal bearing bushing 26 having a flange 27 engaging the outer face of the paddle wheel and at its inner face with a metal bearing bushing 28 having a flange 29 of larger diameter than the flange 27 engaging the inner face of the paddle Wheel and secured torsaidinner face by screws 30. The bores of said bushings are axially aligned and serve to mount thepaddle wheel for. rotation on a, stationary shaft.3.1- which is carried, by and projects laterally, from the outer face of a. supporting plate 32 secured to the outer sideof the wheelhousing wall portion 20' by pairs of screws 33 extending through said wall and threadedly engaging the plate 32 at the top and bottom. thereof. Freely rotatably, mounted on the shaft 31 inboard of the paddle wheel 22 is a sprocket Wheel 34 having outwardly, laterally extend-- ing dowel pins 35 engaging holes 36 in the bushing flange 29. A washer 37 and cotter pin 38 at the outer end of the shaft serves to hold the paddle wheel and sprocket. in, assembly on the shaft 31 without excessive.

endplay.

The upper end of the plate 32 carries a laterally inwardly extending sleeve 39 which projects through the wall20' and affords bearing support for a shaft 40. jour-- naledtherein, said shaft extending through the plate 32 and. having fixed thereto a sprocket 41 preferably of larger diameter than the sprocket 34. A toothed rubber belt 42extends between and interconnects the two sprockets, the close adjacency of the opposing faces of the plate 32. andthe side 23 of the paddle, wheel serving to prevent lateral displacement of the belt. Inboard of the sleeve 39, the shaft 40 carriesathrust collar 43 which oooperateswith the hub-44 of the sprocket, to prevent endwise movement of the shaft 40. The inboard endof the shaft 40 is given an offset bend to form' a crank 45 and freely rotatable hand grip 46 is fitted to the crank. Preferably, the lateralwall 21 of the wheel housing at the top surfacethereof is faired? into the top surface of the deck and the outer edge thereof is also preferably faired into the side edge of the deck component in tapering front and rear end portions 47 and 48.

Theoperation of the craft is believedto be completely obvious. A person seated onthe deck component by turning the cranks may propel the craft in either directionand through differential or opposite rotationof the cranks can cause the craft to turn in either direction. All top surfaces of the deck slope to the outer edge wherefore there is no problem of bailing water taken aboard. The monolithic construction resulting from the union of the foam plastic filling with the deck and bottom components of the hull results in extreme rigidity without appreciable loss of buoyancy. The width ofthe craft makes it extremely diflicult to overturn and even if over turned there is no loss of buoyancy. The craftisreadily and inexpensively formed from the two main components whichare readily produced by molding. reinforced plastic. sheet material, the cementing them together and thereafter filling the void-so formed with plastic foam. Fol lowing that there remains only the installation of the two simple paddle wheel devices.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, there is shown another embodiment of the invention which is exactly like the. first described embodiment except that the deck component 49 is. changed by the elimination of the back rest and foot rest portions and thesubstitution therefor of a rectangular well portion,50 in which the occupant may kneel while operating the propelling cranks 45, 45. Since exception this change in the deck component all other parts are the same, the same numbers have been applied thereto and a repetition of the description is believed to be unnecessary. Another modification shown in this second embodiment of the invention is in the use of circular side walls for the paddle wheel instead of the scalloped form of such side walls as shown in FIG. 1. It will be apreciatedthateither form may be used on either embodiment of theinvention.

If desired, the edges of the flanges 4 and 5 may be covered by a resilient binding 51 adhesively secured thereto.

This second embodiment of the invention gives a lower; center. of gravity tothe occupied craft at the expense of providing a space in which a small amount of water may; be, taken and held but this space is not enough to materially affect the buoyancy of the craft.

While in the foregoing specification there have been; described certain presently preferred embodiments, of the; invention, it is not to be inferred therefrom that the invention is limited to the specific embodiments thus described' by way of example and it will be understood. that the invention includes as well, all such changes and. modifications in the. parts and in the construction,.combination and arrangement of parts as shall come within; the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a manually. propelled watercraft, a monolithic. hull formed from a molded plastic sheet bottom component having'a bottom portion and aperipheral side wall: portionterminating in a peripheral horizontaloutward 1y; extendingflange, a deck component. also formed of. molded plastic sheet securedtosaid flange portion of; said, bottom component, and a filling of hardened foam: plastic completely filling said hull, a pair of paddle wheeli housingsformed integrallywith said deckcomponent and disposed one each at each side of said deck component outwardly of said bottom component and propellingmeans comprising apair of paddle wheels. and separate driving means therefor mounted one each on each of said housings.

2. A watercraft as claimed in claim 1 in which said deck component is provided with an integrallyformed? back-rest disposed rearwardly of said housings and adapted to position a person seated on said deck component with-- in operating reach of said paddle wheel driving means; said deck component additionally having integrally formed foot-rest means disposed forwardly. of said housings- 3.. A Watercraft as claimed inclaim 1 in which said deck component is provided with a well portion disposedi between and slightly rearwardly of said housings and of: sufiicient size to allow a person to kneel therein while .operating said paddlewheel driving means.

4; A watercraft as claimed in claim 1 in which: each ofv said housings includes a vertical wall portion extend ing upwardly from the plane of said deck component and a laterally outwardly extending portion projecting from the upper edge thereof andiin which each of said propelling comprisesa supporting plate mounted on the outer face of said vertical wall, an outwardly projecting shaft extending; therefrom, a' paddle wheel freely rotatably mounted on said: shaft, a hand crank operated shaftjournaled on; saidplate and extending inwardlyfrom said housing, and power transmitting means interconnecting; said shaft and said paddle wheel.

5: A Watercraft as claimed in claim 4' in which said powcr'transmitting means comprises a first sprocket on said hand crank operated shaft, a second sprocketon said paddle wheel, and a toothed endlessbelt trained around and interconnecting said sprockets.

Leyde Mar. 18, 1947' Peter et a1. Apr.25', 1950- 

